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Pigs Can't Swim: A Memoir (2014)

by Helen Peppe(Favorite Author)

3.98 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0306822725 (ISBN13: 9780306822728)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Da Capo Press

review 1: Helen Peppe grew up on a farm in Maine as the youngest of 9 children. While her book was advertised as a memoir, the first half is more a collection of random anecdotes. The stories are mainly about Helen getting hurt physically either by the lacksadasical attitude of her family toward her physical safety (like allowing her as a 7-year-old to ride an unbroken horse bareback or run around in a the goat pen with a ram on the loose), or sometimes the injuries are caused her own siblings. Interspersed throughout the stories are sarcastic comments about Helen's parents thinking of every animal as meat. I did not entirely care for this half of the book. The author seemed to be almost bragging about her experiences and trying to garner sympathy or congratulations or something. An... mored she acted like she was 'above' her parents somehow because they ate meat and she didn't. I almost quit the book halfway through, but for some reason I kept on. Maybe it's because Peppe really is a good writer and storyteller, and the family was pretty crazy/interesting. But then the tone of the book turned and the second half really grabbed me. The book became more of a memoir that proceeded in the order of events, and went into the story of Helen's molestation and then into her first love. This half of the book was riveting, heartbreaking, sweet, well bittersweet. I enjoyed it very much. Basically I would give 3 stars for the first half of the book and a 5 for the second half, ending up as an overall 4 star rating. Unfortunately the author did choose to swing the book back into her judgement and holier than thou attitude toward meat eaters at the end. I realize the author wanted to impart her love for animals to the reader, but I wished she could have done it less judgementally.
review 2: The youngest of nine in a rough brood raised in poverty on a remote farm at the end of the road, the author recounts all the misadventures and escapades as she recalls them. Her overworked parents, an uninvolved, dispassionate father and well meaning but somewhat insensitive mother, do their best with limited parenting skills and old fashioned sensibilities. The narrative is very interesting and makes you wonder how the kids managed to survive to adulthood. I enjoyed that the author used identifiers that use descriptions of personality traits and physical features in lieu of proper names for her siblings. It was reassuring to find out that she grew closer to her mother as an adult and her mother had eventually realized and admitted some of her shortcomings. Being from a relatively large brood myself, I can definitely relate to a lot of the author's story. I have also come to realize that as a child, you misinterpret many things you are told and that, though well intentioned, some of your parent's methods and messages may be misguided and even harmful. Fortunately, my childhood was much more loving, nurturing and affluent. I could tell some stories, though! less

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